遥遥无期 (yáo yáo wú qī) — far into the future with no end in sight; not within the foreseeable future

Definition

A four-character idiom meaning 'no end in sight' — something wanted or expected is so far off it may never happen. Used to describe plans, hopes, or completion dates that remain unrealized.

idiom
far into the future with no end in sightnot within the foreseeable future

Examples

  • 遥遥无期。
    Zhè ge jì huà de wán chéng shí jiān yáo yáo wú qī.
    The completion date for this plan is far off with no end in sight.
  • 遥遥无期。
    Tā de yuàn wàng yǐ jīng biàn de yáo yáo wú qī le.
    His wish has become something that will never happen.
  • ，遥遥无期。
    Rú guǒ zī jīn bú dào wèi, gōng chéng jiù yáo yáo wú qī.
    If the funds don't arrive, the project will have no foreseeable completion.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

遥遥far away
遥yáofar遥yáofar
重叠Reduplication
无期no end
无wúhave no期qīdate; limit
动宾Verb + object

The far-away 遥 and the no-end 无期 together describe a time with no foreseeable end.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 遥 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 遥 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 無; 无 is its simplified writing.

For the simplified 无, the story is about 無. 無 drew a person dancing with ox tails held in both hands to pray for rain, then was borrowed for 'have no', so the picture does not explain that meaning.

Open 无 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
日日rì
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí期qī
Same sound today

The original form paired 其 for its sound with 日 (sun). A related form changed that sun to 月, and this later developed into 期.

Open 期 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.